The X-47B is controlled remotely but has more autonomy than older drones such as the Reaper and Predator.

Naval pilots require years of training to learn how to land a fighter jet on a carrier deck at sea, and even experienced aviators say touching down on a ship at night is a difficult challenge.

But Wednesday's unprecedented landing by an unmanned plane showed that sophisticated computer software could perform the same task, guiding a robotic aircraft onto the deck of a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The X-47B drone already successfully took off from a carrier in a catapult launch on May 14.

The US Navy envisages the bat-winged, tailless plane becoming an important element in all air wings aboard carriers, which currently rely on manned fighter jets and helicopters.

The X-47B, which is about 12 metres long with a wingspan of nearly 19 metres, can reach subsonic speeds and fly at an altitude of more than 12,000 metres.

Unlike the Predator, which is slower and has a more limited range of 1,250 kilometres, the X-47B can fly 3,800 kilometres before refuelling, allowing it to potentially carry out bombing raids at a long range.